Pencil point sharpening device



Aug. 6, 1968 Filed April 8, 1966 A. W. VETTE PENCIL POINT SHARPENING DEVICE FlGl 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.4

ALFRED W. VETTE INVENTOR.

. HIS ATTORNEY g- 1968 A. w. VETTE PENCIL POINT SHARPENING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Filed April 8, 1966 ALFRED W. VETTE J INVENTOR. W 1 91% HIS ATTGRNEY United States Patent 3,395,499 PENCIL POINT SHARPENING DEVICE Alfred W. Vette, 111 Highland, Apt. 605, Highland Park, Mich. 48203 Filed Apr. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 541,171

. 4 Claims. (Cl. 51-371) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pencil point sharpening device is disclosed comprising, in combination, a base and an abrasive sheet holder about which an abrasive sheet may be wrapped, said holder formed of sheet metal and being bent to form spaced apart yieldable portions defining a space therebetween, said base having .a depression formed therein and an upstanding rib in said depression, said holder constructed to be pushed unto said rib to secure said holder in place on the base and to draw the abrasive sheet taut about said holder, said holder engageable with said rib via said yieldable portions so that said rib is disposed in the space between said yieldable portion and said holder disposed in said depression when in place on the base, said depression serving as a receptacle for particles shed from sharpening pencil points with said device, and means including an aperture in the base facilitating pushing said holder off said rib to remove said holder from its place on the base.

My invention relates to improvements in abrasive sheet abrading apparatus.

Its principal object is the provision of an improved pencil point sharpening device for sharpening the point on pencils and the like which is so constructed that the materials desired to be pointed and the shape of points thereon can be of various kinds to suit the individual preferences of varied users.

The foregoing object of the invention and its advantages will become apparent during the course of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pencil point sharpening device embodying my invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are transverse vertical sectional views of the structure of FIG. 1 taken, respectively, along the lines 2--2 and 3-3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a part of said pencil point sharpening. device;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the structure of FIG. 4 taken along the line 5-5 thereof;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are fragmentary transverse vertical sectional views similar to FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 2; and

FIG. 9 is an exploded view in perspective of said pencil point sharpening device.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, 10 designates,

a pencil point sharpening device comprising a base B which is preferably formed of thermoplastic material and by injection molding. The base B has a longitudinally extending central depression 11 formed by a floor 12 and surrounding slanted side walls 13 and straight end walls 14. Skirts 15 and 16 which are integrally joined to the side and end walls 13 and 14, respectively, extend to the same level as the floor 12 which they surround so that together with such floor they rest upon adrafting table or other supporting surface upon which the pencil sharpening device is placed. Within the depression 11 the base B has a longitudinally extending platform 18 raised from the floor 12 as shown which is provided with a centrally located through aperture 20 and a longitudinally extending upstanding rib 22 which is discontinuous in the area of the aperture 20.

The pencil sharpening device 10 also comprises a holder H which is preferably formed of sheet metal by bending. The holder H has a plurality of longitudinally extending bends as shown which form slightly crowned slanted sides 25 depending from a radiused top ridge and a spaced apart vertical ends 28 joined to the sides 25 by bottom portions 29. The holder ends 28 are yieldable and may be spread apart or pushed together to change the width of the space between them. The slight crown on each of the sides 25 provides a means for producing a hollow ground shape on each side of a chisel pencil point so that in certain applications, such as aircraft lofting and automotive body design, where long lines must be drawn with the same pencil a consistent width of line can be produced.

In use of the pencil sharpening device 10 an abrasive sheet S such as emery cloth of precut size is wrapped about the holder H by giving it a central longitudinal fold as shown in FIG. 9 and laying it upon the holder H so that such fold coincides} with the top ridge of the latter as shown in FIG. 6. The free ends of the sheet S are then folded in wardly toward each other in the direction shown by the arrows in FIG. 6 and tucked into the space between the holder ends 28 also as shown in FIG. 6. The holder H with the sheet S wrapped about it is then inserted into the depression 11 of the base B so that the rib 22 projects into the space between the holder ends 28 as shown in FIG. 7. The holder H with the sheet S wrapped about it is then pushed downwardly into the cavity so that the rib 22 projects fully into and. fills the space between the holder ends 28 as shown in FIG. 3. In drawing the holder H with the sheet S wrapped about it down from the position shown in FIG. 7 to the fully assembled position shown in FIGS. 1-3 the sheet S is drawn taut over the sides 25 and top ridge of the holder H by the frictional engagement between the rib 22 on the one hand and the free ends of the sheet S and the holder ends 28 on the other hand. The platform 18 maintains the holder H and the taut sheet S above the receptacle formed by the floor 12 so that the accumulation of particles shed from the sheet S will be below the aperture 20 so that no escape therefrom of such particles will be likely.

With the device 10 steadied by one hand and a pencil, such as the pencil P shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, held in the other hand the point of the pencil may be frictionally moved against either of the slanted taut sides of the sheet S to sharpen the point with a conical or hollow ground wedge point and with a blunt or sharp tip or in any other manner desired. In most cases the pencil will be disposed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and reciprocated (into and out of the paper as viewed in FIG. 3 or in the direction of the opposite strait arrows in FIG. 1) and/or axially rotated (as indicated by the opposite curved arrows in FIGS. 1 and 3) so that the pencil point rubs against the abrasive surface of the sheet S. The graphite dust and/ or particles as indicated at 30 in FIG. 3 from sharpening pencil points shed from the sheet S and fall to the bottom of the depression 11 and when a suflicient amount has accumulated the depression 11 may be emptied of them by inverting the device over a Waste receptacle and shaking .and/ or tapping it if necessary.

My invention makes available a choice of grit size of abrasive sheet S to accommodate specific requirements of various users and whenever it is desired to change the latter an elongated member, such as the pencil P-2 as shown in FIG. 8, is inserted into the aperture 20 from beneath the base B and pushed upwardly relative thereto to the holder H from engagement with the ribs 22. The elongated member is preferably pointed, as shown for the pencil P-2, so that the holder ends 28 are spread apart sufiiciently to free them from the rib 22 at the time the holder H is pushed upwardly as described. A new abrasive sheet S may then be wrapped about the holder H and the process of assembly as before described repeated to set up the device for use with a fresh abrasive sheet S.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by the present invention improvements in abrasive sheet abrading apparatus and a pencil sharpening device in which the object hereinabove set forth, together with many other thoroughly practical advantages, has been successfully achieved. While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that variations and changes may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A pencil point sharpening device comprising, in'combination, a base and an abrasive sheet holder about which an abrasive sheet may be wrapped, said holder formed of sheet metal and being bent to form spaced apart yieldable portions defining a space therebetween, said base having a depression formed therein and an upstanding rib in said depression, said holder constructed to be pushed unto said rib to secure said holder in place on the base and to draw the abrasive sheet taut about said holder said holder engageable with said rib via said yieldable portions so that said rib is disposed in the space between said yieldable portions and said holder disposed in said depression when in place on the base, said depression serving as a receptacle for particles shed from sharpening pencil points with said device, and means including an 4 i aperture in the base facilitating pushing said holder 0 said rib to remove said holder from its place on the base.

2. A pencil point sharpening device as claimed in claim 1, a platform in said depression and raised from the bottom thereof, said platform of less width than the width of said depression, said rib upstanding from said platform, said holder of less width than the width of said depression.

3. A pencil point sharpening device as claimed in claim 2, said depression, platform and rib extending longitudinally of the base, said platform of the same length as the length of said depression, said aperture in said platform and central in respect thereto, said rib discontinuous in the area of said aperture, said holder extending longitudinally of said base when in place thereon, said holder of substantially the same length as the length of said depression.

4. A pencil point sharpening device as claimed in claim 1, said holder having a side provided with a crown so that a hollow ground shape can be produced on each side of a chisel pencil point.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,595,428 5/ 1952 Trussell 5l-370 2,624,161 1/51953 Snell 5l380 2,895,452 7/1959 Angeloff 51380 X JAMES L. JONES, JR., Primary Examiner. 

